MOONSCAPE –from the”Humanlandscapes” portfolio

“Moonscape” is an image created in the arid desert outside the tiny town of Dixon, NM. Dixon is not visible from the main highway, and it is a rare person traveling between Santa Fe and Taos on highway 68, that stops to explore this little community. As in most of the Southwest, however, beautiful gems are hidden everywhere for those with the time and curiosity to explore.

Our world is experienced through our five senses and contrast and tension lie at the heart of our sensory perception. Hot and cold, soft and hard, bright and dim, chaos and order–all describe this contrast and tension. The extremes define the range of sensations and allow us to quantify the options that fall between. The power of opposites is well known and “Moonscape” speaks to this tension. The theme of chaos vs control, and hard vs soft is well illustrated here. The harsh beauty and chaos of the eroded and windswept soil is confronted by a soft and living form…controlled and smoothly sculptured in silent repose. I see this as a metaphor for our world– harsh chaos, soothed by found beauty and healed by the soft touch of humanity.